Of Sea and Sky
by Pyrrhakeet
Summary: Amarinthine and Lavender walked on the airship to Beacon, just wanting to become stronger and to escape their past. Sagara got on in hopes of making her sister proud. Valmai eagerly stepped forward, unafraid of who she was, and Rust was just looking forward to finally get out of a life on the streets. Little did they know the trials they'd be put through at the Academy...
1. Prologue

**Note: This book is set in the RWBY universe, but no RWBY characters apart from the professors will be used.**

 **I do not own RWBY. All rights belong to RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**

* * *

"And you'll still talk to us?" River asked her daughter, her face etched with worry. Standing beside her was her husband, Jay, and even though he was maintaining his usual stoic look, concern was clear in his eyes.

Sagara grinned at her parents. "Of course I will!" she exclaimed. "Beacon's gonna keep me busy, but I'm sure we'll have time." She laughed. "Besides, you two are the only ones who can put up with my long stories!"

"What about me?" A silver-haired girl walked out, giving Sagara a look of mock offense. She wore a silver circlet, with a blue teardrop gem set in the middle. However, this seemed to be the most formal part of her outfit, as she had thrown on a simple blue shirt moments before.

Sagara reached out a hand to ruffle her sister's hair, careful not to knock off the circlet. "Now, how could I forget about you?" she said as Rain pushed her hand away and attempted to fix her previously-straight hair.

"And I can't ruin all the surprises for you." Sagara smiled. "After all, you'll have stories of your own in three years!"

Rain gasped. "You really think I'll make it in?"

"Of course!" Sagara said. "You survived that Grimm attack too, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but you were the one who held them off..." Rain muttered, but a small blush still appeared on her face.

River walked up to Sagara, handing over her bags. "Be careful out there, Sagara." She whispered, pulling her into a hug that Jay was soon to join.

"I will be." Sagara looked at her parents, trying to give them her most assuring smile.

With that, she turned around, giving her family one final wave as she walked towards the airship docks. Her duffel bag was slung around her right shoulder, and her left hand pulled another bag behind her.

Suddenly, she was stopped by a mass of silver and blue running towards her. Pausing, she saw Rain standing in front of her, her breath slightly uneven from the sudden sprint.

"Yes?" Sagara asked, looking down at her sister.

Rain grinned a bit, her gaze dropping to the ground. "I...I wanted to give you this before you left." She said, carefully pulling off her circlet and placing it on Sagara's head. "That way, it's like taking a little bit of me to Beacon with you! Plus, it looks really good on you."

Sagara wrapped her arms around Rain, a smile on her face once again. "I'll miss you, Rain."

"I'll miss you too." Rain replied. "But that's okay, because according to you, I'll get to be there with you in three more years!"

Sagara laughed. "I never can get anything past you, can I?"

"Nope!" Rain gave Sagara an innocent grin.

Giving her sister one last hug, Sagara once again started to walk to the docks where the airship was waiting.

As she stood at the door, she waved, seeing the distant figures of her parents and sister wave back (and jump, in Rain's case). Turning around, she stepped onto the ship, the only sound being the soft _clunk_ of the wheels on the metal as she rolled her suitcase on board.

* * *

The sound of clashing metal cut through the air, as two figures dressed in purple twisted around each other, moving swiftly in the empty room. To the average onlooker, it appeared to be a simple spar, but anyone who took a closer look could see that they were familiar with their partner's style.

Amarinthine ran at Lavender, a slight smirk on his face. Pulling out a chakram infused with gravity Dust, he threw it at his feet, propelling himself upward. As he was in the air, he threw a small sphere at Lavender, purple smoke erupting from it the moment it hit the ground.

Landing, he used the smoke cover to run in, throwing a roundhouse kick at Lavender. Blocking it, Lavender quickly swing her tonfa at Amarinthine.

Ducking, Amarinthine swept a leg under her feet, knocking her down. "You missed." He smirked. Rolling her eyes, Lavender was quick to respond, setting a forcefield up to push him back, taking it down a few moments later.

Flipping, Amarinthine threw another chakram. However, as Lavender moved to avoid it, the chakram split, one half finding its way to her.

Letting the momentum from the hit spin her, Lavender shifted one tonfa into its pistol form, shooting at Amarinthine. As he ran away, he threw an ice chakram at the ground, and a wall of ice rose up.

Jumping from behind the wall, Amarinthine pulled out another gravity chakram, using this one to propel himself towards his sister. Punching her in the face, he rolled forward, throwing another ice chakram as he stood up.

Lavender blocked it with a forcefield, turning her other tonfa into a pistol. Shooting, Amarinthine stepped back, grinning at the sound of the bullets hitting the wall instead of him. "Come on, is that the best you can do?" He said, another smug grin splitting his face. Throwing chakram at the opposite wall, it split into three, forming steps for him to run up.

Jumping off, he threw another kick at Lavender, who hadn't said anything in response to his earlier comment (much to Amarinthine's disappointment). Recovering fast, Lavender swing one of her tonfas, which was now back to its regular form, unable to suppress a small smile as it hit its target.

However, Amarinthine recovered just as fast, catching Lavender's arm as she tried to punch him and flipping her, quickly putting her in an armbar.

However, the creak of the door made them both pause, weapons dropping. Turning, Amarinthine and Lavender saw their foster parents standing at the door.

"I hate to interrupt you two, but the airship arrives in five minutes." Agni, their mother, smiled.

"Don't worry, we already finished packing!" Lavender said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Right, Amarinthine?"

Amarinthine only glared at her as he rushed back inside to stuff a few more things in his bag, leaving a laughing Lavender behind.

A few moments later, he was back out, and the four began their walk to the docks.

"Excited?" Ciro asked, grinning at the two that he had taken in four years ago. So much about them had changed, but the same determined light still remained in their eyes. But after all, after all they had gone through, he couldn't really blame them.

"Definitely!" Amarinthine exclaimed, and Lavender nodded. "Being there, with so many other hunters and huntresses, being on a team..."

His words trailed off as they reached their destination, the airship just arriving.

"Don't get into too much trouble, you two." Agni said, wrapping her arms around the siblings.

"I won't! Not sure that I can say the same for Amarinthine, though." Lavender laughed, earning herself a light smack from her brother.

Saying a few last goodbyes, the two stepped on, the doors closing behind them.

* * *

The moon shone brightly as Rosemary ran through the grass, smiling at the glowing stars above her. The grass tickled her bare feet, and a feeling of freedom swept through her as her laugh faded away into the breeze. It was times like these when she could almost-

"Roseeee-mary!" The voice of her best friend and adoptive sister snapped Rosemary out of her dream. Groaning, she rolled over, sliding out of her bed as Livana hummed happily in the background.

"Come on, Livana, I was having a really great dream..." Rosemary mumbled.

Livana paused. "Don't you remember what today is?"

"It's too early to think, Vana." Rosemary blinked a few times. Livana had been waking her up like this for nearly ten years now, how was she not used to it at this point?

"We leave for Beacon today, remember?" Livana gave Rosemary a smile that seemed too big for this early in the morning.

Rosemary froze. "That...that's today?"

"Yep!" Livana grinned again. "Why else did you think we stayed up late last night packing?"

"I didn't think we left until next week!" All signs of fatigue had left Rosemary's face, and were now replaced with fear. "We're going to be thrown on that airship with hundreds of other people, and fly to a school with _even more_ people, and _I'll be on a team with other people_ , and what if I don't get you as a partner? What if we aren't put on the same team?" By now she had stood up, and Rosemary paced back and forth, her breath getting shallower and faster with each second.

"Breathe, Rosemary." Livana said gently, placing a hand on Rosemary's shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I'll stay with you for as long as I can, and even if we aren't partners, I'll call you as often as possible."

Rosemary's panic melted into a relieved smile. "Livana, where would I be without you?"

Livana shrugged. "Freaking out with another family?"

"Oh, but it's much more fun freaking out with you!" Rosemary let a small laugh escape her, earning another smile from Livana.

"You ready?" She asked, dark blue eyes shining with excitement.

Rosemary walked back over to her bed, picking up a small, worn stuffed bird and putting it in her front pocket, to Livana's amusement. However, she dared not speak a word, knowing that it was the only thing Rosemary had left of her parents and her old home.

Carrying their bags downstairs, the two were met by the smiling face of Livana's mother.

"I'm so proud of you!" Nisha wrapped her children in a tight embrace, which they wholeheartedly returned.

"Thank you so much." Rosemary whispered. "For everything."

Nisha simply nodded in response, but her eyes were full of pride, happiness, and even a hint of sadness. She may have trained Rosemary the same as she did Livana, but she still remembered the day when she took a scared, broken Rosemary in ten years ago.

Rosemary sunk into the embrace, taking the moment in. Beside her, she felt Livana do the same, and for a moment, time seemed to still.

Livana was the first to break the silence. "Should...should we head out?" She asked, her voice quieter than usual.

Reluctantly, Rosemary nodded, and with a final wave from Nisha, the two were off.

* * *

Valmai stood at the window of the airship, staring at the sights below her. She felt somewhat uneasy, not used to flying without the use of her wings.

Without thinking, she stretched them out, closing her eyes and trying to imagine that she was in the open air instead of this confined space. However, when she saw the strange looks the passengers were giving her, she folded them back against her.

Suddenly, she heard a voice call out from behind her. "Wings? Is that you?"

Turning around, she found herself face-to-face with a thin boy with dark orange hair. "Carrot!" She happily called, tackling him to the ground in a hug.

Laughing, Rust pushed himself back up. Watching Valmai do the same, he noticed that she now stood a few inches taller than him.

"I can't call you the short one anymore, can I?" Rust gave her a look of mock disappointment.

"Nope!" Valmai grinned. "You know, I didn't think I'd be seeing you again."

Rust smirked. "What, you didn't think I was good enough to get into Beacon?"

Valmai's face flushed a color that rivaled her magenta hair. "No, no, it's not that, I just thought...with our lives, and all..."

"Don't worry about it, Wings." Rust said. "In all honesty, I was thinking the same thing."

The two smiled at each other again. Though they had both grown up on the streets, they had met up a few years back, and somehow managed to meet up a couple times after that as well.

Valmai sighed happily, wings twitching again as she looked back out of the window. "I just never thought I'd be ending up here."

"You seem pretty open with your wings, considering." Rust suddenly quipped.

Valmai tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Rust shrugged. "I mean, with all the White Fang stuff, all the Faunus hate? Thought you'd want to keep them hidden"

"Hey, I'm proud of my wings!" Valmai bristled. "It's their loss if they don't realize that not all of us are killers."

"Sensitive topic. Got it." Rust looked somewhat startled by the anger in her voice, but didn't say anything else about it.

Valmai sighed. "I'm sorry...I guess I just get kinda defensive."

Rust grinned. "Don't worry about it, Wings." Suddenly, he paused. "You know, I don't think I ever got your name. Like, your actual name."

"What, is 'Wings' not good enough?" Valmai laughed. "I'm Valmai."

"Rust." Rust replied. "And for the record, I think I like 'Wings' better."

"Suit yourself, Carrot!" Valmai grinned, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Rust shook his head, smiling and sitting down. Beside him, he saw Valmai do the same, and the two sat in silence, watching the sights pass below them.


	2. Chapter 1

The town was relatively quiet as the airship landed at the docks. Some people stopped to look at it for a moment, watching it touch down, but most just went about their regular business. As the doors opened, a small group of people stepped on, their footsteps accompanied by the hum of the town around them.

That is, until a silver and green blur rushed past, effectively parting the crowds in front of them.

"Come on, Rosemary!" Livana's voice called over the shocked voices, practically dragging her friend behind her. "It's here! We're going to be late!"

"Livana, it just landed!" Rosemary protested, unable to stop Livana from pulling her forward. "I don't think it'll be taking off anytime soon."

"You never know! We are the last stop, so you'd think they'd be eager to get moving." Livana answered, slowing down as they neared the ship.

Rosemary exhaled, enjoying the brief moment of stillness before Livana grabbed her arm once again, pulling her onto the airship. She closed her eyes, trying not to look at the crowd that was sure to be there.

Suddenly, Livana's grip loosened, and before Rosemary could say anything, it disappeared altogether as Livana ran off. Opening her eyes, Rosemary saw Livana pressed against the large window, staring at the water below them.

"Look at that!" Livana turned around, a grin splitting her face. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Rosemary sighed, walking over. "Livana, we haven't even lef-" Her words were cut short by a small gasp as the airship shifted for a few seconds before lifting off. Instinctively, she moved closer to Livana, tensing up.

"Oh, relax!" Livana laughed. "It's not like anyone here is gonna hurt you. Come on, I'll show you!" With that, she grabbed Rosemary's hand before she could protest, dragging her off to the center of the ship.

Rosemary was very aware of the confused looks that they were getting, and tried to make herself as small as possible. Livana, however, didn't seem to notice or care as she walked, mesmerized by the mass of sights surrounding her.

"Wow, you were right, the view gets even better once we leave town!" Livana started moving over to another window- a much more crowded one, to Rosemary's dismay.

As they walked, Rosemary glanced around at some of the other future students. A girl with hair the color of the sea- and just as wavy. A boy with dark orange hair, sitting next to a girl who appeared to have-

"Wings…" Livana whispered, following Rosemary's gaze. Sure enough, the girl had two very pink wings sprouting from her back, tipped with gold.

"Livana!" Rosemary lightly slapped her friend. "Do you really think we should be staring like that?"

"Nope!" Livana shook her head. "That's why I'm going to go talk to her."

"Wait wait wait wait-" Rosemary tried to hold her back, but it was too late. Sighing, she turned around, deciding to look for another place to sit.

However, as she turned around, Rosemary found herself stepping into something- or rather, _someone_. Looking up, she found herself staring at a _very_ tall dark-haired boy, with armor that matched his cobalt eyes. A naginata was strapped across his back, and he looked as though he could snap the majority of people on this ship in a heartbeat.

Rosemary froze for a few moments before running back to where Livana was standing, trying to hold in a laugh.

"This is why I don't go out and meet people!" Rosemary hissed, moving behind Livana.

Livana finally let her laugh loose, earning herself a slap from the person who was now using her as a human shield.

* * *

Amarinthine chuckled, watching a green-haired girl run into a boy that stood a good foot above her, grinning as she ran off to hide behind another girl. "Looks like she's having fun!" He turned to Lavender, who rolled her eyes in response.

"Please, Amarinthine." She said. "Can you go a single day without laughing at other people who don't have your extravagant ability to annoy anyone you come in contact with?"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'charm', Lavender." Amarinthine's smile grew even bigger. "And as for your question? No, I can't."

Lavender sighed. "Honestly! You're going to make people hate me by association."

"Oh, but that's the fun part!" Amarinthine stepped to the side before Lavender could swat him.

Scanning the airship, he took in all the people surrounding him. He found it amusing to watch their interactions- and even better, to be a part of them, wanted or not.

His eyes landed on a girl with blue hair laying by the window, who was very involved in writing something down. "I'll be right back, Lavender!" he called, walking off before his sister could protest.

Crouching down beside the girl, he looked over her shoulder to see that she was writing a letter to someone.

 _…_ _from the airship. We'll be getting a view of the Eternal Fall; I'll be sure to send you pictures when I get there. There are lots…_

"It's _Forever Fall_ , actually." A voice behind her made Sagara jump, and she turned around to see a boy with jet-black hair smirking at her. Blushing, she quickly erased the mistake, filling it back in with the correct name.

"It's not like she would've cared, you know." She huffed, trying to reclaim some form of dignity. She wasn't going to let some random person make a fool out of her before they even got to Beacon!

"Oh, really?" The boy decided to sit down next to her, _that stupid smirk still on his face_. "Who's this "she" you're talking about?"

"My sister." Sagara stated, putting the paper in her bag.

"And I take it she's interested in coming to Beacon?" he asked.

"Well, isn't everyone?" Sagara said, refusing to give _him_ the satisfaction of being right.

The boy's smirk turned into a grin. "So, don't you think she'd appreciate being given the correct information?"

"I'd appreciate it if you left." Sagara snapped, picking up her bag and walking off.

Amarinthine simply watched her leave, grinning to himself. Lavender watched him from a few feet away, sighing and hoping that people wouldn't think that they were related.

She regretted wearing such a similar shade of purple.

* * *

Valmai sat by the window, absentmindedly watching the people by her. A silver-haired girl walking towards her, but turning around as her friend walked into a boy that towered over her. A girl dressed in the colors of the ocean laying down, writing something, only to be interrupted by a purple-clad boy, who after speaking a few words, caused the writing girl to walk off in the other direction.

"Well, at least people are having rougher starts than we are!" Rust slid over, following her gaze.

"You call this rough?" Valmai gestured to the view and the area they sat in.

Rust shrugged. "Fair point. Hey, any predictions for teams?"

"Oh, yes, let me make accurate predictions for how things will go after simply _looking_ at these people for a few seconds." Valmai said dryly.

"You're the one with clairvoyance!" Rust protested.

"Yes, but I can't see _that_ far ahead! And besides, it's not like I'm going to drain my aura on something like this." Valmai snapped.

Rust threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Touchy subject, got it!" he said, grinning.

Valmai simply shook her head as Rust continued. "Personally, I'm hoping to get silver-hair over there." He said, motioning to the girl that had approached Valmai earlier. "After all, she already seems interested!"

"And you don't think she could have been interested in _anything_ else?" Valmai asked, stretching her wings out.

"That's not the point." Rust dropped his gaze to the floor, suddenly interested in his own shoes.

Valmai laughed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna take a look around this thing before we have to get off."

"Suit yourself!" Rust called as she stood. "I'm taking all the opportunities I can get to relax before we're thrown into Grimm-infested forests."

"Isn't that kinda what we came here for?" Valmai turned back around, getting the feeling that Rust wasn't going to let her leave that easily. However, as she turned, she felt her wings slam into something. Something large. Something that she was certain hadn't been there a few moments ago.

Turning around, Valmai was met with the cold cobalt stare of the boy that the green-haired girl had run into earlier. Swallowing, she jumped out of the way, folding her wings against her back. "I am so sorry! I wasn't looking, and I didn't hear you coming, and-"

However, the boy started walking again, making no sign that he accepted anything she was saying. As he passed, Valmai's face turned a shade very similar to her hair, only to darken when she heard Rust beside her. Turning, she saw him lying on the floor, doubled over with laughter.

"It's not funny." She hissed, sitting back down.

"So much for looking around, eh, Wings?" Rust said after the laughter had died down a bit.

"Oh, shut up!" Valmai snapped. "I'll hit you, too. And this time, I won't feel any regret whatsoever."

The airship suddenly shifted, silencing all conversation. Within seconds, it began to descend, causing several excited students- including Valmai and Rust- to rush over to the windows.

Looking out, Valmai watched as the docks came closer and closer. Turning her head, she tried to get a glimpse of the school, but there was no hope of seeing it through the people and the side of the ship.

A few moments later, the ship rocked again, coming to a stop as it landed. As soon as the doors opened, the flood of students pushed their way over to the door.

"You're the only person I know here so far; I'm not losing you!" Valmai said, grabbing Rust's hand and pulling him behind her before he could protest. Spreading her wings, she was able to effectively clear a path for the two of them to get through.

As she stumbled off, Valmai looked up, releasing her grip as she stared ahead of her. The large school stood in front of them, its signature lights still shining brightly despite the mid-day sun.

"It's so big…" She muttered, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, that's kinda what schools like these are supposed to be like." Rust grinned, watching Valmai gape at the sight in front of her. "Now, do you wanna get in on time or not?"

Valmai shook herself out of the trance. "Right, right, sorry." She and Rust walked forward, Rust elbowing her every time she showed even the slightest hint of being sidetracked.

"I assume we just follow the crowd?" Rust asked, motioning to the swarm of people walking off of the airship.

Valmai nodded. "But if we get lost, it's your fault."

Rust rolled his eyes, and the two continued to move with the crowd. Valmai kept her wings pulled back, not wanting to hit anyone else. She knew that people were giving her strange looks, but she didn't care, too engrossed in everything that surrounded her.

After a few minutes, they reached a large room with a stage at the front of it. A silver-haired man was standing at the center, and a stern-looking woman stood off to his side.

"That's Glynda, and the one at the microphone is Ozpin." Rust whispered to Valmai. "Glynda's the one who found me with the Ursas that I was telling you about earlier, so she's kinda the main reason I'm here."

"I don't think you ever told me the full story." Valmai crossed her arms. "And you didn't mention her, according to what you were saying earlier, you 'single-handedly' saved the villagers from being torn to shreds."

Rust dropped his gaze. "I mean, it was _mostly_ me, I could've finished them off if she hadn't done it first…"

"Yeah, sure." Valmai smirked. "Whatever you say."

Rust opened his mouth to retort, but was silenced by Ozpin tapping the microphone and silencing the crowd.

"I'm sure you all have several things that you're planning to do, so I'll keep this brief." Ozpin spoke, his eyes scanning over the room. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Rust heard a voice beside him, and turned to see Valmai quoting the speech word for word. She looked at Rust, grinning.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction." Ozpin (and Valmai) continued. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With that, Ozpin stepped away, leaving Valmai still smiling at Rust.

"So you use your aura for this, but not to see our future teams?" Rust shook his head. "Honestly, Valmai, we need to work on your priorities."

* * *

Lavender had been entranced by the room alone when she walked in, but now, all of her attention was focused on the speech. To think that this man would be guiding them for years, training them, teaching them how to protect Remnant and its people…

"Hey, Lavender!" Amarinthine nudged her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Look over there!" He tilted his head towards a girl with magenta and gold wings, who was mouthing the words to the speech as they were spoken. "How do you think she's doing that?"

Lavender shrugged. "She must have an older sibling that goes here. I've heard that he says the same thing every year."

"And that's Ozpin, right?" Amarinthine asked.

" _Professor_ Ozpin." Lavender said, still a bit put off that Amarinthine was distracting her from the speech.

"You know, it would be really cool to be on a team with someone that has wings." Amarinthine said, his gaze drifting back to the still-quoting girl.

"Could you shut up and let me listen to the speech?" Lavender hissed.

"Why? It's already over." Amarinthine grinned.

Lavender glanced towards the stage, and sure enough, Ozpin was walking off, and some of the older students were starting to lead the group into the main hall where'd they be sleeping. Shooting a glare at Amarinthine, Lavender started to follow them, not wanting to get lost.

As they walked, Lavender saw the blue-haired girl from earlier walking beside her. She looked rather overwhelmed, and Lavender couldn't blame her.

"Hello!" She called, pushing through a few people and leaving Amarinthine behind.

The girl looked up at her, smiling slightly. "Big place, isn't it?"

Lavender nodded. "My brother's going to get us lost first thing tomorrow, I'm sure of it."

"Am not!" Amarinthine protested, smirking a little when he saw who Lavender was talking. "So, _Eternal Fall_ , we meet again!"

The girl's eyes went wide as she finally seemed to make the connection. "This…this is your brother?"

Lavender sighed. "Unfortunately, yes." She said, earning herself a light slap on the arm. "I'm really sorry for what he did earlier. He seems to enjoy throwing himself into unwanted situations."

"Are you apologizing for me?" Amarinthine huffed. "Rude."

"Oh, it's fine!" the girl said, although judging by the look that she shot Amarinthine, it clearly wasn't. "I'm just not used to being around so many people. I'm Sagara, by the way."

"I'm Lavender, and that's Amarinthine." Lavender replied. "Maybe we'll see each other during initiation!"

"Yeah, maybe we'll get to see the Eternal Fall together!" Amarinthine laughed, a smug look still on his face.

"Would you stop?" Lavender growled. Giving Sagara one more apologetic glance, she started to lead Amarinthine away, hoping to give Sagara some peace.

* * *

Sagara watched as Lavender walked off, Amarinthine following close behind her. How could such a nice person be related to _him_? Sighing to herself, she pressed her way through the crowd, trying to make her way through the hallways.

After a while, the group reached the main hall, and the students started to set their things on the ground. Sagara did the same, finding a spot against the wall, underneath a window.

"Come on, Rosemary, let's go over here!" Sagara heard someone call. Looking up, she saw a silver-haired girl dragging a shorter, green-haired girl behind her. "Mind if we sleep here?" She asked Sagara.

"Nope!" Sagara replied, sliding over a bit so the two could fit in.

"Thanks!" The girl said, tossing her bag on the floor. "My name's Livana, and this is my friend, Rosemary." Behind her, Rosemary waved, suddenly becoming very involved in rolling her sleeping bag out.

"I'm Sagara." Sagara said, smiling at the two before pulling out her letter that she still needed to finish. "You mind if I work on this?"

"Not at all!" Livana smiled, rolling over to talk to Rosemary. Sagara grinned to herself, continuing to write.

 _There are lots of people here, but I've only been able to talk to a few. There's Lavender, she's really nice, but her brother's kind of annoying- and the reason I wasn't able to finish this letter sooner. I just met two girls named Livana and Rosemary, I haven't said much to them, but they seem pretty nice too. Of course, when you get here, you'll probably know the entire school within the first day…_

 _Initiation's tomorrow, so I'll definitely have a lot more to tell you then. Tell mom and dad I said hello!_

 _With love,  
Sagara_

"What was that?" Livana asked as Sagara finished.

"I promised my sister that I'd try to write her a letter every day. She really wants to get into Beacon when she's old enough, and I told her I'd let her know what it was like." Sagara replied.

"Aw, that's adorable!" Livana exclaimed. "I'm technically an only child, but Rosemary's lived with me long enough for me to consider her a sister. Of course, she's with me now, so I can't really write anything to her. Not that anyone would know that she's here, since she refuses to be social!" She turned to Rosemary as she spoke the last sentence, and Rosemary simply rolled her eyes and went back to setting her things up.

"She should talk to Rain, that girl could make friends with a wall." Sagara laughed.

Suddenly, the lights went out, making several students gasp with surprise. "Guess that's our cue to go to sleep." Sagara said, quickly taking her sleeping bag out.

"See you tomorrow!" Livana chirped, flopping down onto her pillow and pulling a dark purple sleepmask over her eyes.

"Goodnight!" Sagara called, despite being unsure of exactly who she was talking to at this point. With that, she laid down, her mind filled with thoughts of everything that had happened that day as she fell asleep.


	3. Admission Interview: Amarinthine

Enrollment Interview #257

Student: Amarinthine Frey

Interviewer: Prof. Ozpin

* * *

Transcript

Ozpin: Do you know why we are questioning you?

Amarinthine: Yeah, you want to see if I'm worth training.

O: Well, we can't just train anybody. That's how criminals are made.

A: So you think I'm going to be a criminal?

O: No, but we cannot take unnecessary risks. Anyways, this is your interview, not mine. How would you describe your combat skills?

A: I'm the best of my class in combat and strategy, and I could probably even beat some of the professors here.

O: I see. So, final question- Why do you want to go to Beacon Academy?

A: With the right skills this place offers a free education, a free home, and free food. My sister and I just got out of the orphanage and I'd prefer to stay out.

O: Very well. That will conclude our interview.

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Notes:

Amarinthine is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but leaves much to be desired in the classroom. From his skill comes an arrogance and lack of respect for authority, but that could also come from his… circumstances. Overall, he will be allowed into the academy, and we hope that both the professors and his peers will help give him a sense of humility and respect.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Thomas here. Sorry we haven't been uploading very often, but writers block is a thing and that was the extent of my writing abilities. Be ready for Chapter 2 soon, and we would really appreciate it if you could try to spread this fic so we can get it started. Again, sorry for the wait and thank you for reading this fanfiction.**


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